DAYS OUT
LISTINGS
I WHITE MEN Ill SMALL BOATS Mon 20, 7.30pm. Forth and Clyde Canal Community Project, Community Central Hall, 304 Maryhill Road, Glasgow. £1. 0141 332 9115. Last summer. professional outdoor instructor Daniel Robinson was a member of a three-man sea kayak expedition to the east coast of Africa. The voyage followed the coastline from southern Tanzania to southern Kenya and included visits to all the offshore islands, some of which have not seen human habitation for centuries and contain ruins of great archaeological interest. This lecture will be illustrated by slides he took on this ground-breaking trip, the first to travel this route by ocean
kayak.
This section gives details of selected events taking place in and around the Central Belt of Scotland this fortnight. Events are listed by area and then alphabetically. All submissions should be 5 accompanied by a contact phone number for our information. Days Out compiled by Thom Dibdin.
BORDERS '
I BOROERING TWO NATIONS ORGANISED WALK Sun 19. 10am—4pm. Meet by the ford at Cocklawftxit at the end of the public road at the head of the Bowmont Valley. twelve miles south of Yetholm. £1 (50p). A strenuous nine-mile hike following the Cheviot Burn. then taking a steep. physical climb through the rocky l-len Hole onto the Pennine Way. From there. the walk will follow the Border Ridge with its magnificent views of the Border hills. Take a packed lunch and make sure that you are well equipped for hill walking with stout boots and waterproofs.
LOTHIANS & FIFE f
I THE BOOK OF MAN Thurs 23. 7.30pm. Royal Museum of Scotland. Chambers 1 Street. lidinburgh. £2 (some tickets on the door at £1.50). ()131 225 7534 extension 219. Sir Walter Bodmer. Director General of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund gives a talk entitled ‘deciphering the set of instructions for the construction of a human being'. And he doesn‘t mean robots.
I DUCKS DELUXE Sun 19. 1.30-4pm. Lochore Meadows Country Park. Crosshill. l.ochgelly. Fife. 01592 860086. Meet at the Lochore Meadows Park Centre for this walk to see some of the ten breeds of duck that visit Lochore. Strong sturdy footwear essential.
I EOUESTRIAN OPEN DAY Sat 1 l. l—3pm. Oatridge Agricultural College. Ecclesmachan. Broxburn. Free. 01506 854387. An opportunity to discuss careers ; in the horse and farriery industries and see the related facilities at the college which
72 The List 10-23 Feb 1995
; offers a wide range of full-time. part-time
and short specialist courses suitable for school leavers. mature students and experienced staff.
I ROE EVENING LECTURES Fri 10. Fri 17. 7.30pm. Royal Observatory. Blackford Hill. Edinburgh. £2 (£1.50). 0131 668 8405. Two talks in the regular series at the Observatory. On Fri 10. Dr Ward- Thompson will outline current knowledge about the formation of stars. Using the latest results from the UK telescopes in Hawaii. he will describe the problems in understanding this complex process. On Fri 17. Dr Wells will talk about how telescopes work. He will show how astronomers have developed telescopes
. from the simple designs of Galileo and : Newton to the sophisticated. specialised ‘ instruments of today that cart ‘see'
everything from light to infra-red. radio and X-rays. The observatory's popular
: telescopes are open every clear I Mon—Thurs night from 7—9pm for a visual '
tour of the night sky with an experienced
astronomer. Phone after 4pm on the day to
book. Cost £ 1.50.
I TREES IN WINTER Sun 12. 1.30pm. Hopetoun House. South Queensferry. Edinburgh. £2 (£1). 0131 331 2451. A
E countryside ranger-led walk round the
grounds of Hopetoun with the accent on looking at trees without leaves. Find out how to tell a beech by its bark or an oak by its branches. Meet in the car park in front of the house. Dogs should be on a lead.
STRATHCEYDE
I BRIDAL FAIR Sat 11. 10am—6pm/Sun l2. 10am—5pm. SECC. Finnieston Quay.
. Glasgow. £5 (£2.50). Everything you want
for your wedding under one roof. Bridal gowns. balloons. flowers. men‘s formal wear. bonboniere. photography and. for when you‘ve spent all that dosh. financial companies: you name it. they’ve got it. Also five fashion shows each day.
I CORLIC MOOR WALK Sun 19.
10am-4pm. Barnbrock Farm Centre.
3 Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.
Kilbarchan. £1.50 (75p). 01505 614791. A ranger-led walk up through the old farmland to Corlic Hill. then down to old Bronze Age sites and the remains of an old Roman fort. Although there is not a lot to see of these old sites. with a stretch of the imagination you can picture the scenes which must have been there. This is not a very strenuous walk and is mostly along established paths. but good strong walking boots are advised. Take a spot of lunch. No dogs.
I GAY OUTDOOR CLUB CLIMB TINTO HILL Sat 1 1. A six-mile organised walk up this fine hill of 2334ft. overlooking the Clyde Valley. Go prepared for all weathers as there is likely to be snow underfoot. and take a packed lunch. Details of start time and rendezvous from 0131 539 0715.
I LANARKSHIRE LITHUANIANS until Sun 26. 10am-5pm. Ironworks Gallery. Summerlee Heritage Trust. West Canal Street. Coatbridge. Free. ()1236 431261. An exhibition based on personal histories of a number of Lithuanians and their families. It explores the reason why Lithuanians settled in l.anarkshire. the work they found in the area and the community organisations they set up to keep their identity intact. Previously shown in 1992. the exhibition has been updated.
I NAGA MAS GAMALAN ORCHESTRA Sun 12 and weekly. l.30--4pm; Wed 15 and weekly. 7—9pm. Strathclyde Arts Centre.
: Washington Street. Glasgow. £1 ; membership. 20p per session. Contact S.
Pragnell on 0141 334 9017. See photo caption.
I WHITE MEN IN SMALL BOATS Mon 20. 7.30pm. Forth and Clyde Canal Community Project. Community Central Hall. 30-1 Maryhill Road. Glasgow. £1. 0141 332 9115. See photo caption.
I WHO NEEDS A PSYCHIATRIST? Tue 21. 1——2pm. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. Glasgow. £1.50 (£2 on the day). ()141 227 5511. Margaret Thomson Davis. the best-selling Glaswegian novelist gives this fortnight's conversation piece.
For all the wet weather in central Scotland. conditions tip north have been excellent for snow. The only real problem seems to be slight thaws during the day followed by freezing conditions overnight creating ice-patches at some resorts.
I Ski Clubs For the social life and post- piste piss-ups. your local ski-club can't be beat. They also organise mini-buses to slopes on most weekends and can put you in touch with other people who might want to car share.
Glasgow Ski Club meet every Thursday at 9pm in The Scaramouche. Elderslie Street. Details from 0141 424 1893 or 0141 883 6665.
Edinburgh Ski Club meet every Tuesday from 9.30pm at the West End Hotel. Palmerston Place. For an information pack phone 0131 220 3121.
I GLENCOE Chairlift company: 01855 851 226. Closed Tue/Wed. The closest resort to Glasgow is experiencing wide cover with good depth: hard packed with icy patches. Although all runs are complete from the summit to the car park. some have had to be closed because of icing.
I NEVIS RANGE Chairlift company: 01397 705 825. Creche facility: three—seven years. Scotland‘s newest and hence most modern ski resort boasts the UK‘s only gondola system up to the highest pistes in Scotland at the top of Aonach Mor (400611). There is good. even cover with fresh snow. Although snow at the bottom of the mountain has disappeared. the top is still very skiable.
I CAIRNGORM Chairlift company: 01479 861 261. Scotland‘s largest resort with 28 runs is close to the skiing town of Aviemore so there are lots of things to do off-piste. There is full cover right down to the car park. giving firm packed winter
3 snow without arty problems from ice or
thawing. The only setback has been high winds that have closed several of the
chairlifts.
I GLENSHEE Chairlift company: 01339 741320/741343. Edinburgh‘s closest resort. The three valleys of Glenshee offer 38 pistes on 40km of runs and a massive uplift capacity of 18.500 skiers an hour. Creche facility: over two years. The skiing is exceedingly good with all runs complete. substantial snow on the upper runs. but a bit thinner lower down. High winds have closed some of the chairiifts and the hard packed snow has been a tad icy in the early mornings.
I THE LECHT Chairlift company: 01975 651 440. Creche facility: over three years. Scotland’s best resort for absolute beginners. with easy green and nursery slopes right next to the car park. is full up to the fences. but not outside the runs. No problems with ice and powder snow is blowing onto the runs over night.
.1
532's _ . - Mg?" ~00.»-
l NAGA MAS GAMALAll ORCHESTRA Sun 1 and weekly, 1.30-4pm, Wed 15 and
A
weekly, 7-9pm. Strathclyde Arts Centre, Washington Street, Glasgow. £1 membership, 20p per session. Contact 8. Pragnell on 0141 334 9017. The Glasgow Gamalan Group ‘llaga Mas’ was formed in 1990, is open to everyone, regardless of age or experience and is currently looking for new members. The Gamalan is a Javanese percussion orchestra, combining metal xylophones, gongs and drums to create haunting, otherworldly sound. Playing techniques range from the simple striking of a gong to complex drum patterns, but the emphasis is on creating an ensemble where all members are proficient on most of the instruments. llaga Mas - meaning Golden Dragon in Indonesian - perform widely and will take part in the Glasgow Museums
spring concert season.